News & Stories

2016 Loppet Festival Recap

The 2016 Loppet Festival was a great frenzy of activity. Bridges, shoveling, Kubb playing, skijoring, fat tire riding, snow sculpting, snow making, speedskating, ice biking, snowshoeing, dogsledding, ski touring, ski racing, marathoning, sprinting, Luminarying, Surlying, volunteering, fireworking, grooming and Minne-Loppeting.

In the end, more than 11,000 people participated in Loppet events this weekend, and an estimated 40,000 – 50,000 people spectated, cheered, and enjoyed the festivities.

Festival Director Mike Erickson credited the volunteers for making this year’s event one to remember. “We couldn’t make the big decisions on the event this year until Tuesday evening after the snow came – leaving us only three days to make this huge undertaking happen. Fortunately, I think we have the greatest volunteer team in the world and they showed it again this year!”

Check out these pictures from the weekend, or view the complete results here.

We hope to see you again soon. Events coming up this winter yet include the Mayor’s Challenge and the Midwest Junior Championships. In the Spring join us for the Salomon CITYTRAIL Loppet, in the Summer come out for the UCare Tri-Loppet, or in the Fall run theSurly Brewing Co. Trail Loppet.  And, of course, mark your calendars for the 2017 Loppet Festival – February 3-5, 2017.

– The Loppet Team